Apple Dumpling Festival returns Sept. 26-28 at Whispering Hills in Big Prairie

Somewhere in the neighborhood of a century ago, Curt Murray Jr.’s Grandma Ruth — or maybe even Ruth’s mother or own grandmother — started making apple dumplings. Today, we celebrate her creation, but we don’t talk about how to make it.

“That recipe was at least from my great-grandmother,” Murray said. “We actually have a recipe booklet that says ‘Top Secret’ on the front cover.”

The recipe hasn’t changed too much. Back in the day, lard was used instead of shortening, and Murray, at one point, would help with the peeling of the apples using a handheld peeler.

“Now we use a precut apple,” he said.

The final product is the same, though, and those apple dumplings, among other things, will be center stage at the annual Apple Dumpling Festival at Whispering Hills Jellystone Park in Big Prairie.

The festival has been going for 40 years or so, with a short hiatus at some point. The 2025 installment will be Friday, Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sept. 27 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Dumplings are what made the festival, but they’re not the only treat. Homemade ice cream, apple butter, cider and just about all things fall will be available for consumption. Kids activities like a corn maze, wagon rides and playthings for smaller children will keep the young ones entertained.

“We’ll have jump pillows, a kids zip line and different playthings for the kids,” Murray said. “Each year we try to add a little something. We try to add some new games and activities.”

It all started back in the 1960s or so when Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Wayne Murray ran the Westwood Restaurant in Wooster. That’s when Ruth started making apple dumplings using the family’s old recipe. The dumplings are pastry-wrapped treats packed with a sweet sauce and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

“It’s not a pie crust but not a biscuit crust either,” Carl Murray Jr. said. “I call it hot golden-brown goodness. It’s apples and sugar and yummy fall taste all baked up and served with ice cream.”

It was in about 1969 that Wayne Murray started Whispering Hills. Curt Murray Sr., Wayne’s brother, helped Ruth complete the campground after Wayne Murray died in 1972.

Ruth Murray already had been selling the dumplings at the restaurant, and they became legendary in the area. If you were from Wooster, chances are you had at least heard about them, if not had one or two.

Ruth Murray died in 2020 at 98 years old. Her obituary mentioned her “famous apple dumpling recipe.” One commenter on the online message board said, “My ‘supper’ was frequently an apple dumpling.”

Ruth Murray, at the end of her life, was the matriarch of a family that spanned five generations. She had eight great-great-grandchildren at one point.

Curt Murray said the Apple Dumpling Festival is the unofficial kickoff for all sorts of fall festivities, covering five weekends in all and stretching through October.

“We make apple dumplings throughout all of those weekends,” he said.

Whispering Hills Jellystone Park is located at 8181 state Route 514 in Big Prairie, just southwest of Shreve and less than 20 minutes from Wooster.